Montclair has a higher percentage of crashes related to pedestrians than the rest of the state. New Jersey's pedestrian crash rate is 2.5 percent of all crashes; Montclair's is 3.5 percent, according to Township Engineer Kim Craft.

Each discussed the different viewpoints they had on street safety, covering the "three E's" of transportation safety: engineering, education and enforcement.

Egnezzo's comments pointed to not just enforcement but education, noting that the Police Department has been given grants to work on decoy operations. Those operations have been not just enforcement-oriented, but education-oriented.

The goal, she said, is "educating the motoring public" about crosswalk laws, as well as safe travel speeds and undistracted driving.

"Distracted driving is becoming an epidemic," Egnezzo said.

Nelson-Edwards spoke of the efforts in Montclair High School to educate both new drivers and parents dropping off students. The school recently won a grant for a driving simulator, she noted.

Schlager noted the grant that the Pedestrian Safety Committee had received from the Montclair-based Partners For Health Foundation to launch the "Drive With Care in Montclair" campaign.

"If it helps just a handful of people, it would have been worth it," Schlager said.

Tassey noted the 'ABCs' of bicycle safety: checking if the air in the tires is sufficient, the brakes are working, and the chain is free of debris. She also emphasized the importance of wearing a proper-fitting helmet, and of cycling with care: "being predictable, staying alert, and aware of the rules of the road," she said.

Craft explained that, as a town with a Complete Streets policy, Montclair has endeavored to accommodate all users of the streets whenever improvements to a road are made. She said the township was proud of the South Park Street engineering project, a partnership with Montclair Center, and that flashing beacons should soon be expanded around schools.

Questions from the audience prompted further examination of issues. Egnezzo reported that the majority of pedestrians who are hit in Montclair are young, "anywhere from 8 to 25," she said.

"That's one of the most important reasons why we're educating young people," Egnezzo said, adding that the age range of those hitting people is, on average, ages 25 to 50.

Tassey added that the next steps are actually changing behavior and encouraging others to do so. "I think we all have to practice what we preach," she said.

Resident Philip Craig spoke from the audience, criticizing the Montclair Police Department for sometimes opting for educational campaigns rather than strict enforcement and ticketing.

"We are not enforcing our laws, and we need not be waiting for a state or a county grant," Craig said. "It's a matter of political fortitude."

At the meeting, The Montclair Times spoke with Montclair resident Judy Kottick, whose daughter Ella Bandes was killed by a bus while walking in a crosswalk in New York City last year. Kottick has been mobilizing with a group of parents, known as Families for Safe Streets, whose loved ones have been killed in automobile crashes. They are petitioning state government to lower speed limits in New York City and to install speed cameras. They advocate for "Vision Zero," meaning zero pedestrian fatalities.

Kottick said she believes Montclair and New York City could learn from each other, especially as so many Montclair residents work in Manhattan.